by nuraimi

February 21, 2017February 24, 2017

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

We decided to head to Abu Dhabi as part of a side trip from Dubai. We chose to grab a public transport to the city rather than hassling our way in using our Emirates Economy ticket for the free shuttle at the Terminal 3 Airport. Click here for more details.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

The main intention for this trip is solely to visit the majestic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. A pristine white marble place of worship was worth our short trip. We hailed a cab from Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal for a 10 minutes ride that costs AED20. Upon arrival, we walked through for security checks before entering the mosque. There is no entrance fee to visit this site. For those who are not modestly dressed, there are abaya and thobe for rent at the security entrance. The guards are strict in ensuring that every visitors are well-clothed, even removing the hijab for a quick selfie is a big deal to them.

Tip: Do consider your wardrobe of choice when you visit this place. A modest wear is required upon entering for all visitors. Click here or a great tips by Jayne Gorman on the mosque.

Upon stepping into the mosque, I can feel how cooling the marbles are. The closer I get to it, the more I would love to explore it. While the tourists walked around the mosque, my husband and I managed to prayed in the mosque and mesmerised the interior of the prayer hall which is reserved for muslims.

After prayers, we walked through the main hall that displayed 3 out of 7 huge chandeliers on the ceilings. The Mihrab wall shows the direction of the qibla is beautifully crafted with the Pulpit (mimbar) next to it. You can tell, this mosque is carefully design to the top-notch. The carpeted floor is known to be the largest hand-knotted carpet ever been made in the world. Read here for more info in the mosque’s architecture.

The mosque is so huge that the toilets and ablution area are located at the two ends of the mosque (on the basement), separating the male and female respectfully.As for the exterior walls, I love the floral multi-coloured marble murals on the walls as though climbing through the roofs. I was at awe with the vision of the whole structure. I let the pictures speak for itself.

Tip: Always look up the ceilings for even more intricate details.

Credit: Coffee Club

Hungry? There is a Coffee Club cafe outside the mosque with a souvenir shop next to it. Do take note that since it is a tourist site, it is slightly on expensive side.

How do we travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi via public bus?

We managed to board the public bus to travel to Abu Dhabi. Quite an easy ride. I have written a whole post on this. Click here.